OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media concludes visit to European institutions

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Jan Braathu, concluded his first visit to European Institutions today.

During his visit, the RFoM discussed current challenges to media freedom across EU Member States and the broader OSCE region with the cabinets of European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of the Law, Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy,  Commissioner for Enlargement, with the European External Action Service (EEAS) as well as journalist and media freedom organizations.

“We must reiterate that free, pluralistic, quality media are a prerequisite to democracy, security and sustained peace,” the RFoM highlighted. “In order to address the challenges to our common peace and security framework, we have to strengthen synergies between like-minded institutions,” Ambassador Braathu emphasized.

In meetings with EU interlocutors, the RFoM discussed the EU regulatory landscape affecting the media and information landscape such as the European Media Freedom Act, the Digital Services Act, the Anti-SLAPP Directive and the AI Act as well as new initiatives such as the Democracy Shield.

“Any comprehensive tool to defend democracy needs to be rooted in robust safeguards for media pluralism and freedom as essential elements of upholding democratic values,” the RFoM underlined when discussing key elements of the Democracy Shield such as economic viability, the safety of journalists, challenges and opportunities posed by AI, and media literacy.

Prior to the visit, on 7 May, the Representative attended UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day Conference, where he met with high-level representatives of UNESCO and joined the other international and regional Freedom of Expression Mandate Holders to present the Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence and Freedom of Expression.